so they are not going to raise the debt limit and they are not going to fark with the cuts, but they are going to play with who gets a tax cut?

WHY would the dems compromise on this???The original sequester plan WAS the compromise. (Compromise is the deal that no one wants, NOT the deal that the GOP will be happy with.)I REALLY hope the DEMS hold firm on this.

Obama has as much as said that if we pass Jan. 1 without a compromise he's going to ask Reid to enter a no-frills, straight up tax cut on everyone making less than $250k and dare the GOP to filibuster a tax cut for 98% or Americans.

nmrsnr:Obama has as much as said that if we pass Jan. 1 without a compromise he's going to ask Reid to enter a no-frills, straight up tax cut on everyone making less than $250k and dare the GOP to filibuster a tax cut for 98% or Americans.

The Republicans attached a new "chained" formula for calculating the COLA for Social Security, which Democrats are calling a "poison pill" and a non-starter. So there's a good chance Obama's plan is the one we'll get.

Less than 36 hours before the new year, when the Bush tax cuts are scheduled to expire, budget negotiations on Capitol Hill ground to a halt, and an increasingly restless Mitch McConnell - the Senate Minority Leader - enlisted the help of Vice President Joe Biden to resolve the remaining differences between Democrats and Republicans over whether and how to avoid the fiscal cliff.

McConnell's gesture suggests a desire to avoid an uncomfortable New Year's Eve conundrum. If he and Biden come up empty, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pledged to introduce legislation that would extend the Bush tax cuts for income up to $250,000, extend emergency unemployment benefits and protect millions of middle class taxpayers from having to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. McConnell and Senate Republicans would then have to decide whether to mount a filibuster, and bear responsibility for the economic impact of across the board tax increases and spending cuts next year, or allow the legislation to pass on a majority rules basis, and pass the measure over to House Speaker John Boehner.

Negotiations broke down Sunday after McConnell pressed Reid to include in a year-end deal a provision that would re-index Social Security payments to a less generous measurement of inflation called chained CPI. Dems say including Social Security cuts in a deal that doesn't increase the debt limit is a non-starter.

Autistic Hiker:Negotiations broke down Sunday after McConnell pressed Reid to include in a year-end deal a provision that would re-index Social Security payments to a less generous measurement of inflation called chained CPI. Dems say including Social Security cuts in a deal that doesn't increase the debt limit is a non-starter.

Wait...all of this stupid bullcrap and it still doesn't include an increase of the debt ceiling?

Seriously, fark all of this nonsense, the GOP needs to stop with their little BS games and act like grown adults for once in their sad miserable lives.

Seriously, wasn't it something they voted for? Something they helped create? Now they act like "OMG ITZ THE END OF THE USA WE'RE ALL GUNNA DIE BECAUSE OF OUR BROWN PRESIDENT!!!"

Christ... I'm bout ready to say fark it, let the sequester happen. They signed off on it how long ago, had how long to come up with a goddamn budget, and they still don't have one? Farking really? As a taxpayer, I have to ask, why are these assholes getting paid? They continuously fail to make a budget. If I had a job responsibility that included "making sure out finances are in order and ensuring we can pay the bills", and I fail to do so repeatedly, I'd be fired. Who the fark keeps going to the voting booth and saying "sure, let's keep these asshats in office and pay them six figure incomes so they can continue to not do their job"?

Seriously, wasn't it something they voted for? Something they helped create? Now they act like "OMG ITZ THE END OF THE USA WE'RE ALL GUNNA DIE BECAUSE OF OUR BROWN PRESIDENT!!!"

Christ... I'm bout ready to say fark it, let the sequester happen. They signed off on it how long ago, had how long to come up with a goddamn budget, and they still don't have one? Farking really? As a taxpayer, I have to ask, why are these assholes getting paid? They continuously fail to make a budget. If I had a job responsibility that included "making sure out finances are in order and ensuring we can pay the bills", and I fail to do so repeatedly, I'd be fired. Who the fark keeps going to the voting booth and saying "sure, let's keep these asshats in office and pay them six figure incomes so they can continue to not do their job"?

So all the defense cuts go into place, all of the Bush tax cuts evaporate and all the GOP gets in return is an opportunity to vote against reinstating the tax cuts for 98% of Americans if it means unemployed people get to eat and our credit rating isn't destroyed?

Did the GOP subcontract out the hiring of their chief negotiators to a mental institution or something?

For many months this has been the inevitable endgame following the ridiculous, self-inflicted wound the GOP orchestrated during the completely fabricated debt limit fight. They started a fight over literally nothing, they misled their supporters about what the debt limit even is, they got our credit rating downgraded and damaged the economy. And now, after getting taken to the cleaners during the last election, they are going to get kicked in the balls. We've known for a long time exactly how this is going to play out, but the GOP is so fractured and aimless that they couldn't do anything to stop it.

diaphoresis:I'm hoping for a Thelma and Louise ending to the fiscal cliff

[baltimorepostexaminer.com image 490x246]/I want it to happen so damn badly

It'll happen, most likely, but instead of going off a cliff, imagine a slow slope that takes a full year to reach the bottom, and can be entirely overturned by retro-active legislation by the next congress.

Seriously, wasn't it something they voted for? Something they helped create? Now they act like "OMG ITZ THE END OF THE USA WE'RE ALL GUNNA DIE BECAUSE OF OUR BROWN PRESIDENT!!!"

Christ... I'm bout ready to say fark it, let the sequester happen. They signed off on it how long ago, had how long to come up with a goddamn budget, and they still don't have one? Farking really? As a taxpayer, I have to ask, why are these assholes getting paid? They continuously fail to make a budget. If I had a job responsibility that included "making sure out finances are in order and ensuring we can pay the bills", and I fail to do so repeatedly, I'd be fired. Who the fark keeps going to the voting booth and saying "sure, let's keep these asshats in office and pay them six figure incomes so they can continue to not do their job"?

I was thinking the first part earlier this week myself. Sooo...the legislation leading to the fiscal cliff was a horribly bad idea? Well, I guess we need to figure out who was responsible for it. Oh, the same morons that are always whining about everything? Fantastic.

Nothing will get accomplished besides posturing until after Jan 1st. I knew that this would be true as soon as someone pointed out that if the GOP waits for the tax cuts to expire, then they can simply vote for newer smaller tax cuts, which lets the government raise more revenue while the GOP can claim that they never voted for tax increases. That's the beauty of those sunset provisions, it gives them an out if taxes need to be raised without them having to worry about another "read my lips" moment.

Mad_Radhu:Nothing will get accomplished besides posturing until after Jan 1st. I knew that this would be true as soon as someone pointed out that if the GOP waits for the tax cuts to expire, then they can simply vote for newer smaller tax cuts, which lets the government raise more revenue while the GOP can claim that they never voted for tax increases. That's the beauty of those sunset provisions, it gives them an out if taxes need to be raised without them having to worry about another "read my lips" moment.

Problem with this is that they won't get to vote in tax cuts for their buddies, the 1%. Those are the guys who fund them and their crusade against America. If they let all the tax cuts expire they'll have to fight hard to get them back past Obama and that'll look incredibly bad to average voting Americans.

wax_on:Mad_Radhu: Nothing will get accomplished besides posturing until after Jan 1st. I knew that this would be true as soon as someone pointed out that if the GOP waits for the tax cuts to expire, then they can simply vote for newer smaller tax cuts, which lets the government raise more revenue while the GOP can claim that they never voted for tax increases. That's the beauty of those sunset provisions, it gives them an out if taxes need to be raised without them having to worry about another "read my lips" moment.

Problem with this is that they won't get to vote in tax cuts for their buddies, the 1%. Those are the guys who fund them and their crusade against America. If they let all the tax cuts expire they'll have to fight hard to get them back past Obama and that'll look incredibly bad to average voting Americans.

That really is the best part. Basically the GOP will have to kiss Obama's ring to get what Obama wants anyway.

Mad_Radhu:Nothing will get accomplished besides posturing until after Jan 1st. I knew that this would be true as soon as someone pointed out that if the GOP waits for the tax cuts to expire, then they can simply vote for newer smaller tax cuts, which lets the government raise more revenue while the GOP can claim that they never voted for tax increases. That's the beauty of those sunset provisions, it gives them an out if taxes need to be raised without them having to worry about another "read my lips" moment.

You are underestimating just how much the GOP wants to suck off the 1% (and just how much their voting base agrees with it)

Mad_Radhu:Nothing will get accomplished besides posturing until after Jan 1st. I knew that this would be true as soon as someone pointed out that if the GOP waits for the tax cuts to expire, then they can simply vote for newer smaller tax cuts, which lets the government raise more revenue while the GOP can claim that they never voted for tax increases. That's the beauty of those sunset provisions, it gives them an out if taxes need to be raised without them having to worry about another "read my lips" moment.

That still seems like a tough sell. It's not a given that the tax cuts will be reinstated, particulalry because it will give the President even more leverage to ask for a multi year raising of the debt ceiling to get them through and the GOP is clearly....well, insane.

Also, there are dairy subsidy issues at hand too (the so-called "dairy cliff") and no Republican wants to have moms pissed at them because a gallon of milk shoots to $9 while Congress is enjoying their New Year's parties.

Notabunny:nmrsnr: Obama has as much as said that if we pass Jan. 1 without a compromise he's going to ask Reid to enter a no-frills, straight up tax cut on everyone making less than $250k and dare the GOP to filibuster a tax cut for 98% or Americans.

The Republicans attached a new "chained" formula for calculating the COLA for Social Security, which Democrats are calling a "poison pill" and a non-starter. So there's a good chance Obama's plan is the one we'll get.

the chained formula sucks. why the fark do SS recipients, who get screwed on COLA as it is, have to get double screwed? damn Obama hasn't even got his second inauguration and he's pissing me off again.

The Republican party cannot be blamed for not planning for the current "fiscal cliff" situation. They did, in fact, have a sound strategy for handling it: have Mr. Mitt Romney elected President and have their party regain control of the Senate, which would then have allowed them to completely reverse all of the elements of the "cliff" that they found undesirable (such as the expiration of tax cuts for income brackets above $250,000 and cuts to defense spending) while retaining the elements that they found acceptable (such as expiration of tax cuts to income brackets below $250,000 and cuts to any social services). The voters of the United States then sabotaged this plan on November 6 by re-electing President Barack Obama and by allowing the Democrats to retain control of the Senate.

When Representative John Boehner stated that he received 98% of what their party wanted from the 2011 "debt ceiling" negotiations, it was predicated upon the assumption that President Obama would lose his re-election bid. As such, the fault of this current situation actually falls upon President Obama for having the poor judgment to be re-elected.

Curious:the chained formula sucks. why the fark do SS recipients, who get screwed on COLA as it is, have to get double screwed? damn Obama hasn't even got his second inauguration and he's pissing me off again.

Dimensio:The Republican party cannot be blamed for not planning for the current "fiscal cliff" situation. They did, in fact, have a sound strategy for handling it: have Mr. Mitt Romney elected President and have their party regain control of the Senate, which would then have allowed them to completely reverse all of the elements of the "cliff" that they found undesirable (such as the expiration of tax cuts for income brackets above $250,000 and cuts to defense spending) while retaining the elements that they found acceptable (such as expiration of tax cuts to income brackets below $250,000 and cuts to any social services). The voters of the United States then sabotaged this plan on November 6 by re-electing President Barack Obama and by allowing the Democrats to retain control of the Senate.

When Representative John Boehner stated that he received 98% of what their party wanted from the 2011 "debt ceiling" negotiations, it was predicated upon the assumption that President Obama would lose his re-election bid. As such, the fault of this current situation actually falls upon President Obama for having the poor judgment to be re-elected.

The sad thing is that you're not far from the truth. They really did invest all of their political capital into Romney getting elected and the GOP taking back the Senate and now that they got neither, they're left hanging and looking like complete idiots.